WASHINGTON,
May 16, 2013 - Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman
Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said today that she is anticipating a “big debate”
over proposed cuts to the nutrition title of the farm bill (S. 954) when the
Senate begins deliberations on May 20.

The
Senate's Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act seeks to cut about $4 billion
from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

During a
teleconference today, Stabenow said she and other lawmakers went through the
bill to ferret out any abuses or retail fraud related to SNAP in order to cut
costs. She also said a lower unemployment rate has brought program prices down,
an assertion countered by various studies.

“This is
about providing help when needed,” Stabenow said, noting the bill clamps down
on individuals who should not be receiving the benefits, such as lottery
winners.

The
proposed reduction has resonated strongly with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,
who has said the job of reducing the deficit should not be placed on the backs
of hungry people. Gillibrand said about 50 percent of SNAP recipients are
children.

She
actually broke ranks with Stabenow, voting against the legislation in
committee. The committee approved the bill on a 15-5 vote May 14.

Still,
Stabenow said she “absolutely rejects the levels of the House cuts,” which are
set at $20 billion. The House Agriculture Committee approved its farm bill on
May 15.

“[That
level] does not have support in the Senate,” Stabenow said.

The farm
bill debate is expected to hit the Senate floor beginning May 20. Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to proceed on May 15, which met with
no objection.

Meanwhile,
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told reporters today at a press conference that the
House bill could force as many as 2 million low-income Americans to “go
hungry.”

“This
could include nearly a million kids,” DeLauro said. “Their bill also kicks
roughly 210,000 low-income children from the free school lunch program.”

DeLauro
said nearly 99 percent of food stamp recipients have incomes below the poverty
line, and that SNAP has one of the lowest error rates of any government
program.

In this week’s Open Mic, Ambassador Darci Vetter, Chief Agriculture Negotiator with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, provides an update on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPA) negotiations, as well as the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks. Vetter says the nation’s agriculture industry cannot afford to be isolated from the other ninety-five percent of the globe’s population or growth in its middle class. Support from farmers and ranchers will be crucial in advancing an ambitious trade agenda, she adds.